Part 10 of 12 part CANE 2012 opponent series

In Part 10 of this series, we're going to take a look at the 2012 Virginia Cavaliers. They are led by Mike London, who will be entering his 3rd year in Charlottesville. They went 8-4 in 2011, losing to Auburn in the Chik-Fil-A bowl after going 4-8 in his 1st year in 2010. 

When you look at the turnaround of this Cavalier team, its not hard to figure out that this team is only going to get better and better and inside Virginia, the Cavaliers are becoming more and more of a force in recruiting there. They're going after top players from the big boys of the BCS conferences, it includes Penn State, their opponent on 9/8 at home. They're going to be dangerous for years.

The 2012 edition is not going to sneak up on anyone. This team is much better overall and they will be a contender again in the Coastal. Offensively, they get Junior QB Michael Rocco (6'3" 225) returning. In 2011, he had 2,671 passing yards, however, he had 13 TDs and 12 picks. He's an accurate QB (61% completion rate in 2011), but if the Cavaliers want to get to the next level, the  interceptions must come down. If he struggles, they have two other QBs that can step up right away in Sophomores David Watford (6'1" 200) or incoming Alabama transfer Phillip Sims (6'2" 215 and is eligible immediately) and could make things a bit more interesting to watch. Their OC Bill Lazor isn't a coach that relies only on the passing game, he's more a balanced type of coach. That's where Senior RB Perry Jones (5'8" 195) comes into play here, in 2011, he was 85 yards short of 1,000 yards (915). When you see the impact Lazor has had on their offense, consider this, from 2010 to 2011, their running game was more efficient as they increase their yards per game from 139 in 2010, to 162 last year. In the passing game, Kris Burd is gone (undrafted FA who signed with the NY Jets), however, they will get potent weapons back in Junior WRs Dominique Terrell (5'11" 170) and Sophomore Darius Jennings (5'11" 170), both of whom were heavily recruited by Penn State, but will have to step up with Burd now gone. When you add in Freshman Canaan Severin (6'2" 210), the potential is there, however, the actual production is spotty at best. Their TEs are very raw: Senior Paul Freedman (6'6" 265) and Jeremiah Mathis (6'3" 245) had just a combined a 71% completion rate in 2011 in limited action.

 

Their O-Line will have some key players back while losing others. First, three key linemen who had a combined 88 career starts are gone, (that includes all-ACC guard, and four-year starter, Austin Pasztor [drafted 4th overall by the CFL's Edmonton Eskimos]). The good news here is that but three others are back in 2012. One of those back are 2nd team all-ACC tackle Senior Oday Aboushi [6'6" 310]). The three that do return have a combined 58 career starts.

Defensively, though, might have some issues in 2012 as only 5 starters are back from the 2011 team, including 3 from their front 7, and both DTs Matt Conrath (undrafted FA to St. Louis) and Nick Jenkins (Graduation), who vs the run, were tough to block. Trying to fill those shoes are Senior Will Hill (6'4" 280) and Justin Renfrow (6'6" 310), who the staff believes can be very good on the interior.  Hill has some experience on the line and in 2011, was in their rotation and was actually better stats wise than Jenkins. He had 7 TFLs and knocked down 2 passes. There's promise on the edges here with DEs Junior Jake Snyder (6'4" 270), Senior Bill Schautz (6'4" 265) and Brent Urban (6'7" 280),  these three combined for 11 TFLs; with 9 of those coming with just 31 tackles from Schautz and Urban.  They will miss Cam Johnson (who went to San Francisco in the 7th round of the NFL Draft). He was a go for broke type of player (He had just 22.5 tackles, with 11 of those which were behind the line of scrimmage), and it looks like Johnson's replacement is going to be the same type of player. They have two true freshmen, who the staff has high hopes for from day one: DE Eli Harold (6'4" 225) and Michael Moore (6'4" 265).

 

On to the LB position, they have a pretty good group here. Senior Middle linebacker Steve Greer (6'2" 230) had 6 TFLs, and broke up 4 in 2011. Also returning here are Seniors LaRoy Reynolds (6'2" 230) who had 8 TFLs and is a player that never gives up on a play from the weak side, Ausar Walcott (6'4" 240) and Sophomore Henry Coley (6'2" 235) showed potential in backup duty, and they have a four-star freshman coming in Kwontie Moore (6'2" 250). In 2011, they had a very good D-Line to support them, that might not be the case in 2012, but their LBs should be enough to offset the losses up front. The staff is very high on true Freshman LB Kwontie Moore (6'2" 250). This guy could end up being one of the best to ever come out of their program.

 

Now to the secondary. Chase Minnifield (undrafted FA signed by Washington) and both of their starters at Safety from 2011 are gone, so they will regress, let's make no mistake about that. However, they get Sophomore CB Demetrious Nicholson (5'11" 170) back, and in 2011, lived up to the hype of a four-star player coming out of High School. He had two picks, and broke up another eight passes, and not to mention that he had two TFLs. When opponents went to his side, he made them pay. He had 51.5 tackles, Now that Minnefield is gone, he's going to have to step up his game. After that, its very thin experience wise. They get  fellow sophomores Brandon Phelps (6' 175) and Drequan Hoskey (6' 175) back, Phelps and Hoskey competed for the other starting spot opposite Nicholson. Fellow Sophomore Anthony Harris (6'1" 185) was the team leader among the other returnees with just 10.0 tackles in 2011, They get Sophomore safety Pablo Alvarez (6'3" 205) back after missing all of 2011 with an injury. This is by far, the biggest question mark here. 

 

At least, until you see how horrible their special teams were in 2011. They have to replace their kicker, punter and kickoff return specialist. There's going to be a dropoff here as well. 

 

This team doesn't back down from a fight and 2012 will be no different. They get a Penn State team that is in shambles, at home and then has to go to Fort Worth to take on a very good TCU team. In league play, they avoid FSU and Clemson, until Charlotte, if they get that far. They have to go Atlanta to play GT. If they beat TCU on the road, they could be 9-0 before we roll into town on November 10th, which could have major BCS implications for both teams. That VT game in Blacksburg will be huge potentially. In the end though, my prediction for Virginia in 2012 is 9-3. 

 

In Part 11 of the series, the focus will be on a team that might just win the Big East this year and that's the South Florida Bulls. 

Part 9 of 12 part CANE 2012 opponent series

In Part 9 of the 12 part 2012 CANE opponent series, we will preview the 2012 Virginia Tech Hokies. With the Hokies, you know the M.O., Special Teams and a physical running game which is their trademark.

You know what you get when you face a Frank Beamer and Bud Foster-coached team. Great Special Teams, which is Beamer's M.O., a tough physical running game, and a damn good defense, which Foster gets the most out of every year with what he has. 

Since 1995, they've won 168 games, which is tied for tops in the country. In 2012, they return 12 starters, 9 of them on D, but just 3 on O. Beamer teams have won 251 games, which is the most among active FBS coaches. His record is 209-98-2 in his 25 year career in Blacksburg. 

Let's start with a Beamer M.O. and that's on Special Teams. 2011, was not a year that was typical VT special teams play. Their punts were just horrendous, which is not Beamer Ball at all. They were dead last in the ACC and 108th nationally out of 120 FBS teams in net punting. They needed Danny Coale's leg to get them out of trouble.  

That will not be the case this year with Coale graduating and now in Dallas with the Cowboys., they're going to have to find someone to step up and produce at the P position. is gone and none of the players trying to win that punting job - Sophomore Michael Branthover (5'9" 184), 5th year Senior Scott Demler (5'11" 201) and RS Sophomore Ethan Keyserling (6'2" 205) - did anything to stand out over the spring.

They'll also have Freshman walk-ons A.J. Hughes (6'1" 190) and Hunter Windmuller (6'3" 170) in the mix. Given Beamer's importance of field position, would he pull the trigger and give the job to a true freshman? 

On Defense, you know that Foster will get the most of his personnel no matter how thin or deep they are. This might the best unit he's had in Blacksburg in a while. Three of the nine players back in 2012 are 1st team preseason All-ACC. 5th year senior LB Bruce Taylor (6'2" 244), RS Junior DE James Gayle (6'4" 244) and Junior CB Kyle Fuller (6' 193). Also their whole two-deep on the D-Line returns. They have 5th year senior DT Antoine Hopkins (ACL) back as well. In 2011, their top reserves got some very valuable experience when called on to do so. Their other LB 5th year senior Jeron Gouveia-Winslow is back healthy from ACL surgery.

If there's a question here, its at the LB position. They were hampered by injuries, and even though their secondary is very good, they are thin here, and if any of their key players go down, it could be trouble. In the end though, this is still a Defense to be reckoned with, especially with Foster running it. Did I mention that they were 10th in the nation last year in total yards allowed? 

Now, let's talk about the offense. They get RS Junior Logan Thomas back at QB and he's now the unquestioned leader at QB. At RB, there are some questions that will have to be answered here. 

Virginia Tech is the Coastal Division favorite again, but they still have plenty of questions to answer: The leader to be the #1 back is RS Freshman Michael Holmes (6' 208). This spring, he looked very impressive to their staff. The competition will be stiff.

Freshman J.C. Coleman (5'8" 192) enrolled in January and he'll have a very good chance to win the job. They'll also have a 5th year senior Martin Scales (5'11" 222), who will be one that can pound the rock in short yardage situations. Also in the mix are RS Junior Tony Gregory (6' 185) who is back from knee surgery which forced him to miss all of 2011, Freshmen Trey Edmunds (6'1" 212) and Chris Mangus (5'11" 187).

Their RB coach Shane Beamer (son of Frank), wants to have 2-3 backs to rely on once the bell rings on Labor Day vs Georgia Tech. 

For the holes to be open for the backs and to give Thomas protection, the O-Line has to step up in 2012. For years, this has been the weakest link of the offense and if Virginia Tech wants to get to that next level, they have to come up big this year. They only return one starter from 2011, and that's RS Junior Center Andrew Miller (6'4" 304), although they did have 5th year Senior LT Nick Becton (6'6' 317) play a lot of minutes.

They do get RS Junior LG David Wang (6'2" 288) back. He missed the entire 2011 season due to a foot injury. On the other side of the line, its time for 5th year Senior RT Vinston Painter (6'6" 309) to step his game up in 2012, and they add RS Sophomore and Georgia transfer Brent Benedict (6'5" 304) to the mix here. If any of their starters were to go down, they'll have 5th year Senior Michael Via (6'7" 304) waiting in the wings to step right in and contribute. Via is coming off ACL surgery too. 

This unit lacks a lot of starting experience (Miller's 14 starts accounts for all of it), however its not a young unit. Painter, Becton and Via are all 5th year seniors, while Wang and Benedict are in their fourth and third years of college, respectively.

The outlook for the 2012 Virginia Tech Hokies. The question is asked, is this finally the year they win the whole thing? Well, based on only 3 starters on Offense returning, one would say no. However, with 9 starters back on Defense, one could argue, their Defense is more than good enough to say yes. Here's the problem, when VT faces elite competition (i.e., Top 5 opponents), they fall flat on their faces almost every time. Their record vs Top 10 opponents is 8-46. That's not going to get it done. Looking at their schedule, they open with GT on Labor Day. They go to Pitt on September 15th to face future ACC foe Pittsburgh. They have to go to both Clemson and Miami back to back, with the latter coming off the BYE week. Then they host FSU the following Thursday Night and two weeks later finish with their Commonwealth state rival Virginia. To answer the question that is asked above, I'm going to say no. They'll be in the mix for the Coastal, but this year, I think they'll come up a bit short there. My prediction for VT in 2012 is 9-3. 

In Part 10 of the series, the focus will be on the 2012 Virginia Cavaliers. 

Part 8 of 12 part CANE 2012 opponent series

In Part 8 of the 12 part 2012 CANE opponent series, we're going to preview a team that can make a lot of noise this year, and that's the Florida State Seminoles.

Jimbo Fisher is back for his 3rd season in Tallahassee, and some think this might be the year they put everything together and possibly win the whole thing. They were 9-4 in 2011, winning the Champs Sports Bowl over Notre Dame 18-14.

As is usually the case in Tallahassee, the expectations to win a BCS title are still very high for the Noles. They open #7 in the pre-season coaches poll. We'll see if this year, they can finally live up to those expectations.

Let's start with the Offense: In 2011, then RS Junior E.J. Manuel (6'5" 240) took over for Christian Ponder, who was drafted 12 overall by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2011 NFL Draft. Their fans really thought Manuel was going to be a QB on the level of Charlie Ward and Chris Weinke. Both those QBs won not only the Heisman Trophy, but a National title as well (Ward in 1993, and Weinke in 1999).

Those are impossible shoes to fill and the high expectations got to Manuel as he suffered a shoulder injury in the OU game and would miss a few games. When October rolled around, their offense turned out to be one of the better ones in the country, however, when Manuel aggravated that shoulder injury, it was over for the Noles and their offense suffered. In the four games from October 15th to November 3rd, They averaged 38.5 points a game and they won each game by at least 25 points. (Now lets consider who their opposition was, which is the murderer's row of: Duke, Maryland, NC State, and Boston College).  They would lose Manuel to that shoulder injury against us and their O didn't go North of 23 points the rest of the way. However, they won games last year because of their D. 

He did end up completing almost 2/3 of his passes (65.5%) for 2,666 yards and 18 TDs to 8 picks. He scored using his legs as well, adding 4 rushing TDs, but, this is a number that stands out, he was sacked 33 times. If the Noles want to compete for a BCS title, that sack number must come down. If Manuel struggles or gets hurt again and is out for an extended period, they will be in major trouble. Yes, RS Sophomore Clint Trickett (6'3" 180) will come in and he did throw for 675 yards and 7 TDs to 4 picks in 2011. He did start against Clemson, and threw for 336 yards, 3 TDs to just 1 pick in a 35-30 loss. However, Trickett doesn't hurt you with his legs the way Manuel does.

Their OC James Coley has gone with the spread offense in the past, however, in 2012, you're going to see more of the pro style offense, like we saw in the days of Bobby Bowden.

Last season, their receivers had at least 26 catches but no more than 38. They get four of those five back in 2012, except for Bert Reed (undrafted FA who's with the Cleveland Browns). Rashad Greene (6' 170) had 38 receptions for 596 yards, and 7 TDs in just 8 games. He missed four games with an Achilles’ injury. In the spring, he suffered a concussion, but he will be a go for their opener on 9/1 vs Murray State. Also back is Senior Rodney Smith (6'6" 219). He had 36 receptions for 561 yards, and 4 TDs in 2011. Junior Kenny Shaw (6' 170) had 34 receptions for 418 yards and 4 TDs last season.  RS Sophomore Christian Green (6'2" 205) also returns in the Receiving core. In 2011, he had 26 receptions for 450 yards, however, he didn't score a TD. RS Junior Willie Haulstead (6'2" 230) comes back after missing all of last year with a concussion. In 2010, this guy had 38 receptions for 587 yards, and 6 TDs. TE Nick O’Leary (6'3" 238) is also a dangerous weapon and now have added Penn State transfer Kevin Haplea (6'4" 252) and it just give Jimbo another big target to utilize in his offense and he's a blocking machine, especially in the running game.

That should benefit guys like Sophomore Davonta Freeman (5'9" 209) who led their team in rushing with 120 rushes for 579 yards and 8 TDs. However, he suffered a back injury which forced him to miss spring practice. Senior Chris Thompson (5'8" 187) who went for 846 yards in 2010, however, because of a back injury, was limited to just 29 carries in 2011. When healthy, those two guys will be very tough to stop. However, expect to see Sophomore James Wilder, Jr. (6'2" 226) and freshman Mario Pender (6' 190) to get some work in the backfield in 2012. Depth here isn't an issue because they are very deep here.

The offensive line in 2011, took a beating because of injuries and that's why Manuel was sacked as often as he was. Think about this, 10 players started at least one game for them on the O-Line, including 3 true freshman. On the bright side, the more playing time they get, the more experience they'll have in the long term. If their line returns to the form of 2010, their O will be a lot better in every aspect.

On the other side of the ball, defensively, when you look at the Noles, their D was #6 in the nation under DC (and former CANE secondary coach) Mark Stoops, who's the younger brother of OU coach Bob Stoops. When it came to stopping the run, they were #9 nationally in that category, and vs the pass, they were #12. The down side was that they were #88 in Red Zone D and in the 4th quarter, when the games were on the line, they were #55. Early in the season, that wasn't an issue, however, later in the year, this stat would carry more weight.

This is going to be a force to deal with again in 2012. All their D-Linemen are back and they have tons of depth here and guys who will be playing on Sundays in 2013.  Just to show how deep the D is, two of their players moved to the other side of the ball just to get in games. Their DEs are led by Senior Brandon Jenkins (6'3" 260), Junior Bjoern Werner (6'4" 255), and Senior Cornelius Carradine (6'5" 255). These three ends combined to have  31 TFLs and 20.5 sacks in 2011. On the interior of their line, they're loaded here as well, and they have one of the best units in the nation, who are led by The tackles are also some of the best in the country led by Sophomore Timmy Jernigan (6'2" 298), 5th year Seniors Everett Dawkins (6'3" 304), and Anthony McCloud (6'2" 322).

At LB, Nigel Bradham is now in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills, drafted in the 4th round, and Jeff Luc who transferred. However, this is still a very good group coming back. Returning are 5th year Senior Vince Williams (6'1" 250), Senior Nick Moody (6'2" 237), Juniors Christian Jones (6'4" 232), and Telvin Smith (6'3" 237). They're not going to have as much depth as they've had in the past, but this is still, again, a unit that is very dangerous.

In the secondary, there will be a some dropoff from an experience perspective, however, this is still a force to be reckoned with. CB Mike Harris (6th round pick by Jacksonville) and strong safety Terrance Parks (undrafted FA to Kansas City) are gone. However, Junior safeties Lamarcus Joyner (5'8" 195) and Terrance Brooks (5'11" 197) are back and to complement them is RS Junior CB Xavier Rhodes (6'2" 217). They will miss Greg Reid, who was kicked off the team because of arrests for drugs (marajuana possession) and driving with a suspended license in Georgia back in July (Trial for those charges will be in September). Bottom line is that Reid was being a knucklehead and he got what he deserved here. They are deep here, but very young.

Now to Special Teams: They'll have Senior Dustin Hopkins back. In 2011, he was 22-27 on field goals last year including a 53 yarder. This is one of the better kickers in America and a Groza candidate. Oh, and he's pretty good on kickoffs too. They lose All-ACC punter Shawn Powell to graduation (undrafted FA who signed with the Buffalo Bills). Now it'll be up to true freshman Cason Beatty to fill those shoes left by Powell. How big were the shoes, in 2011, Powell averaged 47 yards a punt. That's a big weapon they lost from a field position perspective.

Let's start with punt returns, Greene will have some monster shoes to fill. You don't replace a stud like Reid that easily. This guy, had he stayed, had a chance to break Deion's school record for punt return yardage. That's how big a weapon Reid was. His loss is going to be huge from a field position perspective. As for Kickoffs, they will be led by Sophomore Karlos Williams (6'1" 230) and Joyner. Joyner averaged 30 yards per kick return in 2011.

Looking at their Schedule: Their first 4 games are all in Tallahassee and all winnable, especially the first three (Murray St, Savannah St [who replaces WVU on the schedule], Wake). Their first big test will be on 9/22 when Clemson pays a visit to Doak. Then five of final eight are on the road, but leave the state of Florida just three times in that stretch. They go down to Raymond James Stadium to take on USF, which beat the Noles the last time they met in 2009 (Bowden's final season in Tallahassee). Then they go to Raleigh to take on NC State before coming back to Tallahaseee to host BC. After that, its the big one vs The U, before going back to Doak to face Duke. After the BYE week, they go up to Blacksburg to face Virginia Tech on a Thursday Night and in College Park nine days later to take on Maryland before ending the regular season at home against hated rival Florida.

My prediction: If their line can stay healthy all year, their O is going to be very dangerous. You don't replace Reid that easily and they will suffer a bit because of it. However, that D of theirs has more than enough depth to overcome his absence. With a favorable schedule, remember, they have to go to USF, CANES, and VT, and a home game against Clemson on 9/22. There's no reason why they won't win 10 this year. I see them going 10-2, winning the Atlantic and facing Miami in a rematch for the ACC title in Charlotte on December 1st.

In part 9 of the series, I'll preview the 2012 Virginia Tech Hokies.

Part 7 of 12 part CANE 2012 opponent series

In Part 7 of this series, we're going to preview the 2012 North Carolina Tar Heels. There's a new coach in Chapel in Larry Fedora, who comes over from Southern Miss. This team will not be eligible for the ACC title or go to a Bowl game as they are on probation. One of the reasons why was former Tar Heel and current NY Giant WR Hakeem Nicks, who was an all-time great at Carolina, was alleged to have committed "academic fraud" while in Chapel Hill, and his receiving records were given huge asterisks in the record book. Nothing further in the way of sanctions will come of this for them.

Let's get to the on the field issues for Carolina in 2012. Fedora takes over with a situation that's going to be pretty interesting to watch in Chapel Hill. Anytime you have a new job, you want to be loaded as much as possible. probably rather take on a roster stocked with somewhat underachieving former four-star recruits than hard workers who get less attention. However, Fedora's first team in Chapel Hill will feature four-star starters at quarterback, running back, at least two offensive line spots, and both linebacker positions in his 4-2-5 defense, and that will be the big adjustment right there. You will see more players in their rotation at receiver, defensive back and on the D-Line, who with a new staff, will take some time, but the benefits in the end, could work out quite nicely.

However, Fedora dismisses such talk and for good reasons. Number 1, it's what coaches do. Number 2, even he probably doesn't know what this team is capable of yet. No matter how good the players were in H.S., this Carolina team was so-so  in the trenches in 2011 and their running game suffered because of it. Their Front seven couldn't really generate a pass rush, and relied on coming up big on both passing downs and fourth quarter successes to pull out seven wins last year. Also, how do you motivate a team that knows off the bat that no matter how well they do in 2012, they will not be going to the postseason. 

Because of all the factors at play here, This is an unpredictable team in 2012.

Let's start with the Offense: 

There's a new staff in place. Fedora brings some familiar faces from Southern Miss with him to Chapel Hill. He has Blake Anderson, who was his OC, WR coach Gunter Brewer, who was once co-coordinator with Fedora at Oklahoma State, and he inherits some solid, experienced personnel.

We start with Junior QB Bryn Renner (6'3" 215), who had an interesting 2011 season, his first as their starter full time. In his first two games as a starter, he completed 42-49 (a ridiculously high 86% completion rate) for 550 yards; but he also threw more picks (four) than actual incompletions (three). Through seven games, his completion rate was 75%, and he averaged 9.4 yards per pass attempt (which doesn't include sacks) and his TD-to-Pick ratio was 14-to-6. However, in the final few games of the season, he started to tail off: In his final six games, his completion rate was just 62%, and his average per pass attempt was 8.3 yards. He threw 12 TDs, and had 7 picks. He matured in the fact that when he got in trouble, he would throw the ball away, which cut the picks down a bit. However, part of his problem was that opponents would adjust better and learning the position on a full-time basis.

If he gets better in 2012, he should be one to really watch for a very good year. Fedora at Southern Miss' had Austin Davis. In 2011, he threw 34 passes per game last year in a more high-paced Golden Eagles attack, and Renner will get his chance to prove himself this season. The difference between Davis and Renner is that Davis had four better receivers at Southern Miss, than Renner does right now. Their first stringer on their preseason depth chart included Senior Erik Highsmith (6'3" 190, who had in 2011, 725 yards, 9.5 per target, 67% reception rate). He could have a big year. He also had two players who combined for more tackles (2.5) than catches (zero) last year. Oh yeah, and one was kicked off the team recently. Senior Todd Harrelson (6'2" 195) moved from the secondary to WR in the offseason, but we're not going to find out if he is actually any good or not because he slacked off in his academics and therefore, is no longer on the football team. Meanwhile, sophomore Sean Tapley (6'1" 185), who was a reserve in 2011, had a very good spring and could win one of the starting WR jobs. One player that needs to step up in Fedora's offense is Senior Jheranie Boyd (6'2" 190). This guy has all the potential for all four years he's been there and has not lived up to his potential, in spite of the fact, that he averaged over 20 yards per catch in 2011, but they only went to him 24 times. Meanwhile, some other receivers that can make an impact in 2012, are sophomores T.J. Thorpe (6' 190) and Reggie Wilkins (5'10" 175). They combined to be targeted just six times for six receptions and 123 yards. They showed as much as they could when given an opportunity to shine. Meanwhile, Fedora didn't use the TE as much at Southern Miss, but in Chapel Hill, you might see the TE gets used more when you consider that they have a good one in Sophomore Eric Ebron (6'4" 230), who in 2011, caught 10 out of 17 receptions for 207 yards.

The receivers need to step up in 2012. When it comes to their running game, they have a very good one in Sophomore RB Giovani Bernard (5'10", 205). He rushed for 1,261 yards as a RS freshman last year, and it was more impressive when you consider the fact that their O-Line was mediocre at best. He also had 45 receptions for 374 yards, 7.1 per target, 85% catch rate as well. Do not underestimate his potential as a receiver in this offense, this guy is the real deal; When Fedora was at Southern Miss, he had no problem getting the ball into the hands of his big play guys in unique ways last year. Tracy Lampley got 91 carries, while running backs Jamal Woodyard and Kendrick Hardy each were targeted 40 times. In Carolina, Bernard and Junior backup A.J. Blue (6'2" 230) could be big players in the offense, both running and passing. 

On the O-Line, They return five players with starting experience. This unit has combined to start 93 games, which is one the higher marks in the nation. 

On to the Defense, there's a new man in charge here, and that's Dan Disch, who also comes to Chapel Hill from Hattiesburg. While there, he had a really fun, fast Southern Miss defense in 2011, and he was only there for a year after six years in Champaign. His mission, and he chose to accept it, was to have the same success he had in Hattiesburg and Champaign, in Chapel Hill. Disch's lone year at Southern Miss was an enormous success -- the Golden Eagles improved from 59th to 16th in Def. 

In 2012, he won't have as many experienced players to work with to make his system work. This is especially true in the secondary as they will be going to a three-safety look despite losing two of its top four safeties (Jonathan Smith [undrafted FA to Tampa Bay], Matt Merletti [undrafted FA to Indianapolis]) from the 2011 team. They do get Senior Gene Robinson (5'11" 190) back. He had 37.5 tackles, 4.0 TFLs, and three passes broken up. He takes over as the RAM hybrid, and junior Tre Boston (6'1" 190) who had 59.0 tackles, 1.5 TFLs, and five passes broken up should be fine at the SS position. However, just two other safeties played last year: That would be former walk-on Senior Pete Mangum (5'10" 185), who had 19.0 tackles and junior D.J. Bunn (6' 205), who had just 2.5 tackles. The latter, was kicked off the team because of academics, just like Harrelson. Players in the secondary that are going to have to step their games up are Redshirt freshmen like Darien Rankin (5'11" 185) and Sam Smiley (5'11" 175), as well as Sophomore walk-on Jeff Schoettmer (6'1" 205). Those players will fill in the two-deep. If they do have solid years, their front six that do return could be just enough to have good years as well.

As for their D-Line, Graduation and early departures took a big bite out of here. DEs Quinton Coples (1st round pick to the NY Jets) and Donte Paige-Moss (undrafted) both left school early, and tackles Tydreke Powell (undrafted FA to the Minnesota Vikings) and Jordan Nix (undrafted FA to Tampa Bay) are gone; meanwhile,at the LB position, they lost linebackers Zach Brown (last year's leading tackler by far, and is now a Tennessee Titan), and Darius Lipford (6'3" 230) who had 29.5 tackles in 2011 is gone for the year with a knee injury. There is enough left over, however, to talk yourself into the unit if you are so inclined.

They do get back Senior tackle Sylvester Williams (6'3" 320). In 2011, he had 38.5 tackles, 7.0 TFLs, and broke up or knocked down 4 passes. He has the potential to be one of the nation's better DTs. He can do better with his game. If he does, that could open things up for Sophomore Shawn Underwood (6'1" 300), who's also a #1 on their depth chart, even though he didn't get many opportunities last season. If Williams commands the double and triple teams, Underwood could have a big year. At the edges, they have Kareem Martin (6'6" 260), who had 7.TFLs, and either broke up or knocked down six passes in 2011. He should be a solid player on their D-Line. On the other side, they have Senior Dion Guy (6'4" 235), and is pretty small for that position, but he had just 8.5 tackles last year, but he will get the first crack at starting at the "BANDIT" position. Disch and Fedora will tend to use a couple of different hybrid positions (the Bandit is part end, part outside linebacker; the Ram is part safety, part outside linebacker) to give opposing offenses different and multiple looks, however, the down side is that no one with serious experience is listed at that  position.

At LB, the ones that are back are former four-star recruits Senior Kevin Reddick (6'3" 240), who had TFLs and broke up four passes in 2011 and Sophomore Travis Hughes (6'2" 225), who as a freshman in 2011, had 8.5 tackles.Those are the likely starters and will be interesting to watch in 2012. However, they are very thin and if either one or both go down, its pretty thin depth wise after that. If players like Guy, Hughes and whoever wins the free safety job (as of now, their staff thinks its going to be Smiley) are able to make some plays, this defense could resemble what last year's was supposed to. But those are still "if's" right now.

As for their schedule, just too many questions, and they have to go to Louisville early, so we'll get some idea about them. They get Virginia Tech and NC State at home, but do have to go to Miami, and Virginia late in the year on a Thursday Night. For them in 2012, every game is their bowl game, I'm going to predict for UNC in 2012 a 6-6 record. 

In Part 8 of the series, we're going to preview a team some predict could be a serious National Championship contender in the Florida State Seminoles. 

Part 6 of 12 part CANE 2012 opponent series

In part 6 of the series, we're going to preview the 2012 Notre Dame Fighting Irish. They are led by Brian Kelly, who will be entering his 3rd season in South Bend. They finished 8-5 in 2011, losing to Florida State in the Champs Sports Bowl.

Think about this fact for a second. Yes, Notre Dame went 8-5, and all those losses were by 14 points or less. If it weren't for killer turnovers, they could have easily been playing for the BCS title in New Orleans instead of LSU or Alabama.

In the 2011 season opener vs USF, they they dominated the Bulls by 254 yards, however, 3 killer red zone turnovers including a fumble returned 96 yards for a touchdown, would give the victory to the Bulls 23-20. The following week in Ann Arbor,  they had a 24-7 lead in the 3rd quarter, but once again, not protecting the ball in the red zone, would cost the Irish a 35-31 loss. When they hosted USC, Notre Dame was on a game-tying drive in the fourth quarter,, however, their inability to have good ball protection, and a killer pick 6 would once again do the Irish in as SC would go on to beat them 31-17. In Orlando (Champs Sports Bowl) vs. FSU, the Irish D would score a TD and held the 'Noles to 290 total yards. However, it would be, you got it, their inability to protect the football in key moments that would do the Irish in. They had two killer turnovers inside FSU’s 30 and the Seminoles went on to win 18-14.

As is the case with Notre Dame every year, their schedule is murder. They play 3 top 10 teams, 2 additional top 20 teams, and 8 teams that went to a bowl last year. (USC and the CANES also would have gone to a bowl if they were eligible, in the latter's case, the bowl ban was self-imposed.)

Now, let's take a look at the 2012 edition of the Irish:
Offensively,  if they don't have a solid QB behind C, they're not going very far. In 2011, there was a battle between Dayne Crist and Tommy Rees. Crist was named the starter for the opener against USF. However, when he struggled, he was benched in favor of Rees, who would be the starter for the rest of the year. Crist is now at Kansas, which is now coached by former Irish coach Charlie Weis. Rees was very inconsistent in 2011, completed 65.5% of his passes. He had 20 TDs, but also 14 picks and lost 5 fumbles. He was always shaky throughout the 2011 season. Another bonehead move by Rees,  May, he gets busted for slugging a cop, that's being stupid, ok. Kelly did the right thing by suspending Rees for the Irish's September 1st opener in Dublin, Ireland against Navy.

The starter for that Navy game hasn’t been determined but it will come down to junior Andrew Hendrix (6'2" 220), RS freshman Everett Golson (6' 185), or true freshman Gunner Kiel (6'4" 210). Hendrix was their back-up for most of last year, after Kelly demoted Crist to third string. He threw a TD, but also had 2 picks in limited action in 2011. Where he could hurt opponents is with his legs. In 2011, did you know, that he was their third leading rusher despite having just 25 carries. Golson was pretty good in their spring game. Kiel was the highest recruited quarterback last year, and had offers from USC, Oklahoma, LSU, Alabama and the rest of the big schools. He originally committed to his home state university of Indiana, but changed his mind and chose Notre Dame. With all that talent coming in, its going to be pretty tough for Rees to win back his job.

You don't replace a stud like Michael Floyd who was their all-time leader in receptions, and a high pick when he went to Arizona in April. In 2011, he had 100 receptions for 1,147 yards and 9 TDs, and had another on the ground.  They do get back Senior TE (Maxwell Award candidate) Tyler Eifert (6'6" 251), who is one of the best TEs in the country. Last year, he had 63 receptions for 803 yards, and 5 TDs. Their other top receivers that are back are Junior T.J. Jones (5'11" 190), Seniors Theo Riddick (now a running back, 5'11" 199), John Goodman (6'3" 207), and Robby Toma (5'9" 185). However, none of those three had more than 38 catches last year, or averaged more than 6 yards per catch. We'll see a lot of Freshmen DaVaris Daniels (6'2" 190) and Davonte Neal in 2012. This area has many questions that need to be answered and soon.

The same cannot be said about their running game. In 2011, Junior Cierre Wood (6' 215) was their leading rusher. He's a preseason candidate for the Maxwell award, especially after he had 217 carries for 1,107 yards, and 9 TDs. They do lose their top backup Jonas Gray to graduation. He had 12 TDs and 791 yards rushing in 2011. However, they do add a USC transfer in Amir Carlisle (5'10" 185), and should do nicely filling Gray's shoes. While at SC, he averaged more than 6 yards a carry. We'll see Riddick and Freshman George Atkinson III (6'1" 210) get the rock in 2012. Where Riddick will be able to help their offense is in the passing game. He had 38 catches last season. Atkinson is a guy that's a gamebreaker and can take one back to the house at any time. He's that good a player.

Their O-Line was one of the best units in the country in 2011. They do lose two starters to graduations, but they get back Senior OT Zach Martin (6'4" 304) and RS Senior C Braxton Cave (6'3" 304).

Now to their Defense,  they run a 3-4 system under co-DCs Bob Diaco and Kerry Cooks. They had the 15th ranked D in the nation in 2011. They were very good vs the run, but their Achilles heel was stopping the passing game of opponents, especially against the big plays.

They lost their stud DE Aaron Lynch who transferred to USF. That's not going to be an easy piece to replace, due to the fact, that he could rush the passer with rock solid consistency. They do get back  RS Sophomore NG Louis Nix III (6'3" 326) as well as RS Senior DE Kapron Lewis-Moore (6'4" 306) and Freshman Stephon Tuitt (6'6" 295). Their line shouldn’t take a step back if their pass rush gets better. It was nothing to write home about, even with Lynch there.

They return at LB all but one from 2011. The only one gone to graduation is Darrius Fleming. Make no mistake, its unquestionable leader there is Senior Manti Te’o (6'2" 255, and a Butkus candidate to be sure and will for sure go very high in next April's draft). They also have returning Sophomore Ishaq Williams (6'5" 255) who will make some noise in 2012. Also back are Junior Prince Shembo (6'2" 250), Senior Dan Fox (6'3" 240), Junior Danny Spond (6'2" 248), and Carlo Calabrese (6'1" 245). We'll see a lot of them in 2012. However, we won't see Calabrese in the first game, as he is also suspended for the Navy game.

The secondary took a big hit to graduation and must replace 3 starters from the 2011 team. They do have decent safeties in RS Senior Jamoris Slaughter (6' 200) and Senior Zeke Motta (6'2" 215). Their CBs, should be led by Juniors Bennett Jackson (6' 185), Lo Wood (5'10" 195), and RS Freshman Josh Atkinson (5'11" 185), however, those three will compete for just two starting spots in fall camp. They're going to have to step up and make plays because in 2011, the Irish only forced 8 fumbles and when you add the fact that their offense turned the ball over 29 times, that's a big deal when you're on the field playing Defense most of the time and giving opponents short fields to work with, you're not going to win a lot of games that way. Yes, ND was good on D, but until they can force more turnovers and give the O short fields to work with, not much change will happen in 2012.

Let's look at Special Teams:  RS Sophomore Kicker Kyle Brindza is back and he has a strong leg. In 2011, he dealt with the kickoffs, but in 2012, he will take over as the placekicker from David Ruffer (gone to graduation). They have a capable backup should Brindza struggle in Senior Nick Tausch. When he was a freshman, he was the kicker and hit 14 FGs in a row at one point. When he went down to an injury and lost his job to Ruffer, he never got it back. Keep an eye on this one throughout the season.

Senior Punter Ben Turk averaged over 40 yards a punt, and pinned 18 kicks inside the 20. However, when you look at their punt coverage, it was just terrible and his net yards suffered because of that.

As I said earlier about Atkinson III, this is a guy that can take one back to the house. In 2011, he made that point clear when he had two long touchdown returns. On the other hand, their punt return unit was awful, as they had only 48 punt return yards total in 13 yards, not going to win games with you have just 48 yards in punt returns for the season. To put that into perspective. Michael Floyd by himself, had a punt return of 41 yards. If you subtract that, they would have averaged 0.23 yards per punt return. New Mexico was last in the FBS at 1.33 yards a return.  Look for Riddick to handle punt returns in 2012. Hell, it can't get any worse.

Looking at ND's schedule, as usual, its murder. They have to go across the pond to play against a rival that has beaten them 3 of the last 5 years in Navy. On top of that, no BYE week after the Ireland trip as they host Purdue in their home opener the following week. They only played in a bowl game last year. Let's add a trip to East Lansing to take on Michigan St, just a top 15 team in the country. Then they have four games at home stand against Michigan, CANES (Soldier Field, Chicago), Stanford, and BYU. Then the big trip to Norman to take a team that just might win the whole thing this year in Oklahoma. This will be their first trip to Norman in 50 years. They do get to close their schedule with Pitt at home, then head to Chestnut Hill to face Boston College, then host Wake in their home finale before going to the Coliseum to face another team that might just win it all in 2012 in SC. Looking at that schedule, I can't see them winning 8-9 this year. Realistically, my prediction for the 2012 Notre Dame Fighting Irish is 7-5.

In Part 7 of the series, I will preview the 2012 North Carolina Tar Heels.